Chrysanthemum plant named &#39;corhellas&#39;

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named ‘CORHELLAS’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with orange ray florets combined with a bronze center and prolific branching; natural season flower date September 20-27; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Corhellas’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a decorative type flower, a natural season flower date around September 20-27 (week 39); blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant. ‘Corhellas’ is a seedling resulting from a crossing program, which was set up by a previous breeder, and which records are unknown to the inventor. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as one flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2001. The first act of asexual production of ‘Corhellas’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in 2001 in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands, and propagated further at this location. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the foliage of the new cultivar.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium L. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 24 in 2004. The natural blooming date of this crop was September 20-27 (week 39). The average height of the plants was 25 cms. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with orange ray florets and a bronze center blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivars in comparison to ‘Corhellas’ are ‘Iduna’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,925) and ‘Mars’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,678). When ‘Corhellas’, ‘Iduna’ and ‘Mars’ are being compared the following similarities and differences are noticed: All three varieties have medium sized two tone blooms with a dark center. The differences of ‘Corhellas’ and ‘Iduna’ and ‘Mars’ is (1) Natural flowering date. (1) When planted in week 24, ‘Iduna’ and ‘Mars’ flower at a later date than ‘Corhellas’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘CORHELLAS’ as a new and distinct variety. The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995. TABLE 1 Botanical Description of CULTIVAR ‘CORHELLAS’ Bud Size Small; cross-section 0.5 cm, height 0.3 cm Outside Color Yellow-green 144D Involucral bracts 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm Involucral bracts Not present among disc-florets Involucral bracts Green 138C color Bloom Type Decorative Height 1 cm Size Medium Fully Expanded 4-5 cm Peduncle length 7 cm Peduncle color Green 143C-143D Number of blooms Approx. 7 blooms per branch per branch Performance on 5 weeks the plant Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate grey-brown 199A, 1½ mm in length. Fragrance Typical chrysanthemum, slightly Color Center of the flower Immature Greyed-red 178A Mature Greyed-yellow 160A Color of upper Yellow-orange 21B to Greyed-orange 163C surface of the ray- florets Color of the lower Greyed-orange 166C surface of the ray-florets Tonality from A garden mum with orange flowers and a bronze Distance disc Discoloration Greyed-orange 163C to color Ray florets Texture Upper and under side smooth Number 160-180 Cross-section Flat Longitudinal Straight axis of majority Length of 0.4 cm corolla tube Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 2.2 cm Ray-floret width 0.4 cm Ratio length/ High width Shape of tip Dentate Disc florets Disc diameter 0.5 cm Distribution Few, only visible in mature stage of disc florets Shape Tubular Color Yellow-green 154D Receptacle shape Conical raised Reproductive Organs Stamen Present in disc florets only Stamen color Yellow-green 144A Pollen Present Pollen color Yellow 7A Styles Thick Style color Yellow 13A Style Length 0.4 cm Stigma color Yellow-green 144A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovaries Enclosed in calyx Plant Form Grown as a spray type potmum, outdoor mounded and round Growth habit Spherical shape Growth rate Medium Height 25 cm Width 45 cm Stem Color Greyed-brown 199C with at base Greyed-Red 182C Stem Strength Strong Stem Brittleness Not brittle Stem Anthocyanin Present at base of stem Coloration Internode lenght 2.5-3 cm Length of From top to bottom 17-19 cm lateral branch Lateral branch Green 138A-B color Lateral branch, Medium attachment Branching (average Good with 8-10 breaks after pinching number of lateral branches) Natural season September 20-27 blooming date Foliage Leaf color Upper side Green 139A-139B Under side Green 138A-138B Color midvein Upper side Green 139D Under side Green 138D Size Medium; length 6-9 cm, width 4-6 cm Quantity (number 13-15 per lateral branch) Shape Ovate Texture upper side Glabrous Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Rounded Sinus Between Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Diverging Between Lateral Lobes Shape of Base Acute/obtuse Apex Mucronulate Petiole lenght 1-2 cm Petiole color Green 139D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison varieties ‘Corhellas’ ‘Iduna’ ‘Mars’ Bloom size 4-5 cm 4.5-5 cm 4.5-5 cm Color center Greyed-red Greyed-red Greyed-red immature 178A 179A 179A bloom Color upper Yellow-orange Yellow-orange Yellow-orange side ray-florets 21B to 22C 22B Greyed -orange 163C Natural flowering September October October date (when planted 20-27 4-11 11-18 in week 24) 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 